[Interview] Appier CEO Chih-Han Yu: "All Objects Will Have Intelligence Within 10 Years"

Interview with Appier Co-founder and CEO
Global AI Solutions Specialized in Advertising and Marketing
Goal-oriented Results with 'Agentic AI'
"AI Colleagues Will Bring About a 'Job Revolution'"

The CEO of Chihanwe Apier is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Korean branch office located in Allergman Tower, Daechi-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

"Within the next ten years, all objects will possess 'intelligence.' Humanity must now find ways to wisely utilize these intelligent objects."

Chih-Han Yu, co-founder and CEO of Appier, has been dedicated to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) for over 20 years. Born in Taiwan, he studied AI-based autonomous driving, robotics, and multi-agent systems during his master's at Stanford University and his Ph.D. studies at Harvard University in the early 2000s. In a recent interview with Asia Economy, Chih-Han Yu began by discussing an AI project he worked on in 2006. This project, known as the 'AI Table,' was a unique piece of furniture that could automatically and instantly change its height and shape in real time according to the user's posture and movement.

At the time, the main challenge in realizing the AI Table was the enormous development cost. However, considering the rapid advancement of AI technology today, he believes that development costs are decreasing and that such an AI Table will be possible in ten years. Chih-Han Yu predicted, "Furniture will no longer be simple; there will be intelligent furniture, and the ability to use these effectively will become essential."

"Looking at the pace of AI development, there was a long period in the beginning when it brought almost no change. But once it hit a certain inflection point, the speed of change suddenly became very rapid, and I believe this pace will accelerate even further in the future."

He sought AI technologies that could be immediately used in the market and increase ROI (return on investment), and determined that advertising and marketing were the right fields. In 2012, he founded Appier. Appier is now listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and operates offices in 17 cities worldwide. Over 1,800 companies have utilized Appier's AI technology specialized for advertising and marketing. Chih-Han Yu explained, "Appier's agentic AI is designed for various application scenarios. If a marketer sets specific goals and shares the necessary marketing information, the AI will think, plan, and execute actions on its own to achieve those goals."

For example, Appier helped the Taiwan branch of Pizza Hut increase transactions by using a 'limited-time coupon' strategy. Customers who completed their order within 30 minutes of receiving the coupon received a 2,000-won discount. The key point here is that AI was used to identify 'hesitant customers,' and only those customers received the limited-time coupon. This solved the problem of indiscriminately sending coupons without considering customer characteristics, which had previously led to reduced profits.

Chihan Wee, CEO of Appier, is introducing the company's Agent AI technology at the Korean branch office located in Allermant Tower, Daechi-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Appier's Korean branch. In Korea, Appier has collaborated with various companies such as Nexon, Gmarket, and NOL, achieving tangible results. What would happen if Appier partnered with a media outlet like Asia Economy? Chih-Han Yu said that the layout and composition of articles on the Asia Economy homepage would change according to the characteristics of each visitor. Based on data such as visitors' interests, tastes, and preferences, the platform would display articles that are more relevant and engaging to each individual. As a result, readers would be able to access more of the information they want, and the media outlet could increase visitors' time spent on the site, creating a win-win situation.

More than half of Appier's employees are technical talents, and 70% of the technology team holds a master's or doctoral degree in AI or big data fields. To attract talent, Chih-Han Yu said, "We provide an environment without a glass ceiling and offer global experience by collaborating with multinational stakeholders. We give employees the opportunity to realize their ideas and foster fun and passion through collaboration and direct communication."

As a senior figure in the AI industry, Chih-Han Yu left a message for aspiring AI entrepreneurs in Korea: "Focus on customers rather than technology." He emphasized, "AI is not the goal but a tool. True value comes from applying AI to solve customers' core problems."

"Those who skillfully utilize AI or handle AI agents proficiently can amplify their capabilities and productivity by tenfold or even a hundredfold, making them more attractive and competitive talents from a company's perspective."

He also predicted that AI technology will bring about a 'job revolution' in the future. Whereas leadership used to simply mean the ability to lead people well, future leadership will involve leading both human intelligence and AI together. In the past, people were promoted by competing with others, but now, by working with AI as a colleague, individuals can become leaders themselves. "This is truly a remarkable change. The ability to operate AI agents as a team is becoming increasingly important. Thanks to AI, the way we work and organizational culture will be completely transformed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.